Thread: .22 Cleaning

Interesting topic ... lots of opinions, which makes for interesting reading. I’ve spent a couple of hours trolling some overseas forums and attempted to answer this posting based on a summary of their views not mine as I have no idea.
One thing we all know is we should always clean our weapons if we want them to retain their value and be safe and operate without risk or failure.
The question is how often do I clean the bore? Before I answer this, there appears to be 4 rough groups of .22LR shooter who therefore usually own different quality rifles and do completely different shooting.
1. The expert target shooter who can be a tad fussy and knows it
2. The frequent weekend warrior who nails a lot of vermin and hangs out on forums like this
3. The very part-time plinker who needs to get out more or simply shoots other rifles as a preference
4. The guys who don’t really give a toss about cleaning their (t)rusty old .22
Group 1 - these guys clean their bores every 100-200 rounds and sometimes less if they notice a drop off in accuracy. They use all sorts of cool and expensive foamy products & processes to do the job perfectly. Interesting that they all shoot between 12-50 ‘foulers’ before they enter another comp, which settles the bore back into a ‘normal’ accurate state.
Group 2 – these guys clean their rifles every 500-2000 and use the normal products and processes like most of us probably do. There is a common thread that they use a dry patch before/after every shoot just to clean out powder residue without loosing the accuracy, therefore no ‘foulers’ required.
Group 3 – these guys clean their rifles inside and out and basically prep them for storage. They run a couple of dry patches through before use. They shoot so little that they probably miss a couple early in the shoot and put it down to a lack of practice, however some ‘foulers’ might have helped.
Group 4 – these guys probably shoot well as their rifles are in a 'normal' accurate state but they just need to think about their own & others safety and at least give their .22’s a clean every year. Keep safe lads.
A coupe of comments - if you change your ammo brand or model then give the bore a good clean & do plenty of ‘foulers’. When storing our rifles, always relieve the firing pin spring pressure in the bolt so as to rest it properly. Get your gun shop to show you how or check out YouTube if unsure how. Don't get obsessive about your brass brushing. Always use a dry patch before you go out as it’s a good compromise but more importantly confirms the bore is clear of obstructions. Always clean & oil the outside, mag & action, even if it’s just a quickie. Read your manual, as that is probably a good reference. Take particular care of your crown at all times!
Anyway … that’s the guts of about 30 different posts. Cheers Gunzrrr

Hi All

This thread has me questioning what I do now. I own a .22mag and always run 3-4 patches through after each hunt. Light oil on the first couple then a dry on the last to absorb the excess. This isn't going to affect the rifles accuracy is it? It's currently sitting in the safe with a clean bore and it has me worried as to what I might have done.
Cheers

Interesting reading.

I have always been told and under the impression that 22lr ammo is pre-lube and therefore leave a lining in the bore protecting to some extent. I still lube and clean the bolt group/action and trigger group frequently but only drag a bore snake through when it looks like there's a fair bit of crap built up in the barrel.

I don't "clean" mine as such each use just an oiled patch.
See so many beautiful old 22s with rooted bores cos "you don't need to clean a 22"

As far as a full clean of the bore i have only done once in my jw and accuracy defiantly went to shit for 20 off rounds.

Wow. And the pieces of the puzzle just click into place.. gotta stop being a cleaning nazi.

Sent from my GT-I9300T using Tapatalk

nz_hunter ... no worries for you as the .22Mag is completely different. This is purely discussing .22LR's which are usually lubed in a waxy substance, usually with lead projectiles and possibly cheap powder. You're fine with your shiny spout!

Originally Posted by nz_hunter

This thread has me questioning what I do now. I own a .22mag and always run 3-4 patches through after each hunt. Light oil on the first couple then a dry on the last to absorb the excess. This isn't going to affect the rifles accuracy is it? It's currently sitting in the safe with a clean bore and it has me worried as to what I might have done. Cheers

Yup ... I'm a cleaning nazi ... I find it relaxing ... my wife bakes cakes to relax - I clean guns to relax. Clearly I'm going to be limited to one dry patch per clean for my .22LR bores. Boring ...

Originally Posted by deepsouthaussie

Wow. And the pieces of the puzzle just click into place.. gotta stop being a cleaning nazi.

Originally Posted by Gunzrrr

Yup ... I'm a cleaning nazi ... I find it relaxing ... my wife bakes cakes to relax - I clean guns to relax. Clearly I'm going to be limited to one dry patch per clean for my .22LR bores. Boring ...

You mean one oiled patch.

Maybe lightly oiled after a shoot ... 1 dry patch before a shoot ... sound good ??

iv got my dads 10/22 that he used when possum shooting for a living.(in the 70's, only head shots as they skinned them.) he never owned a cleaning kit. the bore never got cleaned, maybe just a wipe down on the outside. I could only guess how many thousands of rounds it fired.
I got it a couple of years ago, at that stage I didn't have .22 brushes and didn't know how to clean a semi, so I asked dean maisey to clean it when he was lightning the trigger.
I didn't notice it shooting any better, maybe just a little, but I would have put that down to the lighter trigger making it easier to hold steady while squeezing.

I wont be cleaning it again, I do pay strict attention to my centrefires though.

Just look down the barrel ( from the safe end ) up to you if you want to clean the crudd.

Mine gets a clean with the brass brush and inox patch after every use, have done for at least a couple years and is still a tack driver

Modern .22 ammo has a projectile with a lubed coating that will protect the bore from corrosion .
22 mag is different and has a jacketed projectile and should be treated like a centerfire rifle .
Target shooters have different opinions about cleaning .22 rimfires , but they all clean them .
.22 rimfire benchrest shooters clean their bores after a card + sighters ( maybe 60 - 70 shots )
They are the accuracy champions of the rifle world , if you think you know better and can shoot better than them , well "good luck to ya "

Ken

Mine only ever shoots 1 inch groups at 50 meters, no matter if it was cleaned yesterday or last year.

I don't clean my centre rifles very often either, hanging around too many shooting forums the general consensus from target shooters is that improper cleaning can cause damage to your bore. That along with many target shooters going hundreds of rounds before cleaning, led me to believe my 5-30 shot shooting sessions didn't need me too clean my rifle each time. My accuracy certainly has not suffered. I'll oil the bore to stop any rust happening, but wont bother cleaning it. My shotgun has gone almost a year without being cleaned and being in a dehumidified environment, no rust has formed.

my .22 gets a clean and stripdown after every shoot other wise i find i tends to jam up

use a bit of brake clean to blast the crap out then oil it up and your good to go for the next time